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AG42 Ljungman: Sweden Adopts a Battle Rifle in WWII (Ad-free)
🕑 Added 2025-01-29 12:00:05 +0000 UTCSweden developed, adopted, and produced a new self-loading rifle during World War Two. The process began in 1938, with an attempt by the state rifle factory to convert Swedish Mauser bolt actions into semiautomatic; that did not go well. Trials for a ground-up semiauto followed shortly thereafter, with the two finalists being the Pelo rifle from Finland and a design by Erik Eklund of the C.J. Ljungmans Verkstäder, a company that made gas pumps and had no prior small arms experience. Eklund focused on making his rifle as simple as possible, and created a direct gas impingement system with a tilting bolt and a rather unique method of operation. It was chambered for the 6.5x55mm cartridge, with a detachable 10-round magazine (which was intended to be reloaded with stripper clips).
The rifle went into production in 1942, and by 1944 rifles were being delivered to the military. They were never a complete replacement for the various patterns of Swedish Mauser, instead being used to supplement squad firepower. In 1953 a major refit program was put in place, making a number of changes and creating the Ag m/42B pattern. Those rifles remained in use until eventually replaced by the AK4, the Swedish model of the G3 rifle from Heckler & Koch.
Comments
Forgotten Weapons
We sometimes do, when we find that we are working on the same material.
Bruce Brodnax
Are you & Henry over @ 9-Hole coordinating releases now? This is like the 3rd one in a row in recent memory where you released within days of each other. Conspiracy or synchronicity: inquiring minds want to know! 😄
Bruce Brodnax
They do: it's called 6.5 Creedmoor. In other news, the 50BMG equivalent [.50 Browning is just .30-'06 scaled up] is the 460 Steyr, an unfairly ignored round for ban states like where I am behind the Granola Curtain...
Beccaskye
I wonder if 6.5 had been used instead of the 30 caliber and 8mm. Would there have been the move to 5.56 and 7.63x39?
Plan9fromkansas
I love the 6.5 Swedish Mauser cartridge. It’s got great ballistics and the recoil is really tame for a hunting round. I just wish they would make a modernized, short action version…🤔
Richard Joy
Awesome presentation in a state of the art studio (the cardboard background really brings it all together). Look forward to future Swedish service rifle videos.
Glenn Miller
Nested cleaning rod is clever!
Guido Schriewer
and I had NO clue one could change the drum in the rear sight to suit bullet types like that! now that is easy!
Guido Schriewer
love the caliber. if the darn thing would just have a better rear sight! and if the sweds would just have put it to good use help their neighbors but... . I personally LOVE that whooole, so short lived era, class of semis meant to be used with one mag in the gun, fed by enbloc or stripper clips, full power or just into intermediate calibers. those 10-12 designs only are SO interesting as cartridge conversion SA revolvers. brief chapter in firearm history.
